Oral Health, Global Impact: John Sumkai Atiiga Earns Top Thesis Award

John Sumkai Atiiga, a University of Washington Department of Global Health MPH alumnus, has been awarded the Graduate School’s 2025 Distinguished Thesis Award (Biology & Life Sciences) for his thesis, “Oral Inflammation and Systemic Immune Activation Among Children Living with HIV in Kenya”. This award competition is held by the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS), and recognizes achievement at the master’s level in multiple STEM disciplines.

Group photo of the new department of global health students.

Cultivating the Future: New Students, New Ideas, Global Impact

The transition to fall signals one of our favorite times of year – the arrival of new students! The Department of Global Health (DGH) is honored to welcome 38 new students to the global health husky pack. Of the 38 students, three are joining the Pathobiology PhD program, four are beginning their studies in the PhD in Global Health Metrics and Implementation Science program, three have started the Doctor of Global Health Leadership and Practice program, and 28 are entering the Master of Global Health program.   

John Kinuthia and Anjuli Wagner

Dr. Anjuli Wagner and Dr. John Kinuthia receive new award to understand how mobile health technology supports PrEP adherence

Drs. Anjuli Wagner (Associate Professor, UW Global Health) and John Kinuthia (Affiliate Associate Professor, UW Global Health; Obstetrician Gynecologist, Kenyatta National Hospital) have received a National Institutes of Health award to fund their study, “Mechanisms of Action for mobile SMS PrEP adherence intervention (mWACH PrEP Mechanisms),” which aims to understand how digital health technologies work to support women to adhere to PrEP, a daily oral pill to prevent HIV.

news

As world gets hotter, Americans are turning to more sugar, study finds

Global warming in the United States is amping up the country’s sweet tooth, a new study found. When the temperature rises, Americans — especially those with less money and education — drink lots more sugary beverages and a bit more frozen desserts. But University of Washington health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi, who wasn’t part of the research, said as temperatures increase with human-caused climate change “there will be other issues of more importance than a small increase in sugary beverages.”

news

Kids from Marginalized Communities Are Learning in the Hottest Classrooms

The first national study of its kind shows that children from marginalized communities are more exposed to extreme heat events. This effect means school authorities in affected areas must be especially careful in monitoring temperature changes, says Kristie Ebi, a professor of global health at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington. 

news

Scientists Denounce Trump Administration’s Climate Report

Scores of researchers reviewed the Energy Department’s argument about greenhouse gases and found serious deficiencies. The Trump administration’s report highlighted the work of Kristie Ebi, a global health professor at the University of Washington, as proof that dietary supplements would help combat nutrient loss from plants in a warmer world. But Dr. Ebi said her research did not make that claim.

news

In a Hotter World, Some People Age Faster, Researchers Find

Exposure to heat waves over just two years could add up to 12 extra days of age-related health damage. “The results may have implications for public health interventions,” said Dr. Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington, noting that there are ways that governments can intervene to protect people in a warming world.

news

New studies tie unrecognized deaths and health problems to Maui and LA wildfires

AP News

Kristie Ebi, Professor in the University of Washington's Department of Global Health and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, mentions how toxic smoke caused by these fires can be due to containing more harmful components than we might think. “It’s not just leaves and branches and trees” that are burned, she said. “It’s buildings. It’s gasoline stations. It’s old houses that have asbestos in them. It’s automobiles. There are lots of components of wildfire smoke.”

Pages